From digitaljournal.com
A February 2026 report on risk-increasing behaviour among young adults identified doomscrolling and AI’s cognitive offloading as the habits that can severely increase brain aging.
These findings come from the industry group Ben’s Natural Health, who have documented behavioural trends among young adults and assessed their potential health and psychological risks.
The key findings from the review are:
- Doomscrolling increases the chances of insomnia by 59%, while sleep deprivation is linked to a higher risk of dementia.
- The faster cognitive decline is connected to the diet based on ultra-processed foods and high reliance on fast food and sugary drinks.
- Chronic urban exposure to air and noise pollution can lead to a 14% increase in dementia risks.
What exactly are these common habits and how do they accelerate brain aging, possibly increasing the risk of dementia and other related illnesses?
‘Revenge’ Bedtime Scrolling or Doomscrolling
‘Revenge’ social media scrolling in bed is very common now, as people try to catch up on the missed relaxation time, but the long-term effects of this habit carry significant risk. Each hour spent staring at screens in bed increases the likelihood of insomnia by 59% and leads to less sleep overall. These hours catch up fast, upping the chances of dementia in the future.
Chronic insomnia and cognitive decline share a bidirectional relationship, where poor sleep accelerates cognitive impairment, and cognitive decline can worsen sleep.
The full impact is:
- Insomnia risk increase: 59%
- Less sleep: 24 minutes on average
- Long-term effects: increased dementia risk
AI Cognitive Offloading
While making AI write first drafts, schedules, and even big decisions saves time, experts warn that the constant habit of it reduces critical thinking skills. Evidence suggests that over-reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI) can lead to a form of cognitive decline, often referred to as “cognitive atrophy,” particularly affecting critical thinking, memory retention, and problem-solving skills.
Without the routine problem-solving that AI presence removes, the human brain doesn’t get enough activity that can lead to a faster cognitive decline.
Sitting All Day
Even when paired with gym and regular exercise, sedentary behaviour increases dementia risks by 17% on average. Long sitting coupled with TV-viewing almost doubles the chances, increasing them to 31%.
Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF) as the Default Diet
A large study of almost 11,000 adults found the link between UPF consumption and executive function decline. Impaired executive function means difficulty with cognitive skills that control planning, organizing, decision-making, and emotional regulation, leading to struggles with daily tasks like starting projects, managing time, staying focused, controlling impulses, and adapting to changes.
Fast food, sugary drinks, and packaged snacks are rich in UPF ingredients, and eating them daily affects not only people’s stomachs but also the blood vessels in their brains.
Chronic Urban Exposure
The urban environment is an unavoidable reality for millions of people, but it also affects dementia risks every day. Systematic reviews of medical studies found that both noise and light pollution are connected to raised dementia risks, and constant noise exposure to traffic increases it by around 14%.
Undertreated Hearing Loss
With modern technology able to raise the sound volume to almost any level, many adults miss the first signs of hearing loss. Without assessment, risks increase fast, and hearing intervention slows the cognitive decline (by up to 48% in just 3 years).
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